Page 12 of Midnight Hunt

Valerie snorted, "Yeah, they might not take to kindly to my special treatment."

We both chuckled softly into the night, the conversation flowing softly from one topic to the other. I kept her safe in my arms and it was like whatever walls she had came crashing down. Valerie, when she was open, was an absolute delight. I knew she was funny, but the woman dangling playfully in my arms as she teased me about mybear-necessitiesmade my cheeks ache. A good ache…one I'd not had in a long time.

For a while, teaching was the most important thing. Giving back, helping students reach their potential; I hadn't let my heart stir. And yet, here it was, fluttering as she threw her arms around my shoulders and snuggled into my chest.

Unfortunately, the good times ended early as we rounded the bend to the patch of moss from earlier…and a person in a flowing cloak. They were crouched beside her clothing, rifling through her pockets.

"Hey!" she barked, flying out of my hands.

The person jerked, standing up suddenly. I stared into the same mask as the stranger who brought a knife to carve me up. A dark snarl broke out of my throat as I stormed forward. Theypointed the dagger at me, legs stumbling backward. "Stop! Stop or I—"

Their voice cut off with a squeak as a massive branch snapped down from the trees around us, smacking the weapon from their hand. They cried out, clutching their hand to their chest.

"Who are you?" Valerie's magic filled the woods. The moon turned red, the color dripping down the stars. Blood painted the trees as shadows filled in the edges of my sight. Slithering darkness wrapped around her as she held a single hand aloft. The other, however, was wrapping around a vine. It twisted in her grasp, turning into an inky viper before my eyes. The cloaked figure froze, the beak of their mask pointed at Valerie.

"Did you know that, before they died, Teddy said you wouldn't hurt a fly. That no one would believe me…and yet, here you are, fucking a professor to keep yourself safe becauseeveryonebelieves me."

"Wrong answer," Valerie's voice was as soft as a breeze as the shadows engulfed her completely. I stepped back, searching for her in the darkness. A single owl hooted in the distance, followed by the lonely howl of a wolf. The masked figure and I locked eyes.

"I wonder if they'll believe you when you tell them it was self-defense?" The figure hissed.

I lunged forward a step before the trees knocked me back. It took the air from my lungs as branches, spidery and jagged, jutted out of the ground. They stabbed through the cloak, took ahold of something within it, and tugged. The sound of fabric ripping bounced off the endless dark until there was nothing left. The person within the cloak was gone and their shroud was in tatters. I scanned the trees.

"Valerie?" I breathed.

"I know," she sighed from behind me. I whirled to face her, finding my little witch frowning hard, holding a clump of hair.She held it up to the moon as the red faded from the sky. "You think this is their real hair?"

"Why do you ask?" I furrowed my brow.

"Because that was an animated corpse, that wasn't a person." She nodded to the moss. I slowly pivoted to see the pile of bones and molded flesh. Pockets of mushrooms and rotten puss oozed out of the broken apart form.

"An insult to nature," I blurted out in a disappointed sigh.

"And a liar," Valerie scooped up her clothes and tugged on her pants.

"Liar?" I quirked a brow. "They didn't say much."

It was Valerie's turn to be quiet, eyes distant. She stared into the moss as it returned the corpse to the soil. Moss slowly devoured pieces of flesh, roots poking up through the earth to drag the bones below the surface. She glanced up at me with a guilty look, "Teddy would never say they wouldn't believe it, because Teddy was the only one who kept telling me to keep a good image…at the drop of the hat, they'll turn on you because that's what mob mentality gets you. She told me that once when I almost knocked a girl's teeth out for what she said at rush. Teddy knew better than most, that I was one scandal from becoming enemy number one. I just had higher hopes that she was wrong."

"Valerie," I breathed, reaching for her. She skirted my touch, pulling on her top and tucking her hair into a hair tie.

"It's alright," Valerie laughed it off but I could hear the pain. "Besides, it's not me you have to worry about. Our friend is the real problem here. You should probably go tell the Dean about them."

"Ah, well," I grimaced, studying the trees around us. "If I tell him about them, I'll have to confess why I was out here."

"Right, and even if we find out their identity, if we tell on them, they'll just tell everyone you're fucking a student." Shemade the same face as me as we watched for any sign our friend was nearby. The woods continued to breathe like nothing ever happened. I hated it, but there was little we could do until we figured out their identity.

And it wouldn't be something we could solve diplomatically. Thankfully, nature had no fondness for politics.

"Come—" before I could even finish my sentence, Valerie snorted. I glanced at her in disbelief as she tried to cover up her childish giggles. "Let’s get back to The Grove."

"Yes, Professor."

"Sylvanus give me strength not to bruise your backside," I muttered under my breath as I descended back into my fur. Valerie stood, waiting patiently, before I cocked my large head to the side. She immediately squealed, rushing forward to ruffle my fur. A happy growl floated up through my body as she roughly scratched at the spot behind my ears. It was even better to see the look of pure joy on her face.

"I've always wanted to pet a bear," she sighed dreamily, smooshing her face to the top of mine. "Holy fuck you're so soft and warm."

I licked her across the face, reveling in her happy shriek. Then I nudged her on, knowing if she kept petting me, I'd get myself in trouble. In my wild shape, it was hard to ignore certain urges and I doubt she was wanting to be bred twice in one night.

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